Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,276km²
Area
200km
Coastline
405m
Highest point
Schweinfurthberget
0
People
2°C
Warmest sea
August
790km
To the mainland
When to go to Barentsøya
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (2 °C) and coolest in February (-1 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway
Barentsøya is an island in Norway. It belongs to Svalbard. It covers 1,276 km², with 200 km of coastline. Its highest point, Schweinfurthberget, rises to 405 m. Nobody lives on it. The nearest mainland is 790 km away.
Getting there
- 790 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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Cross-checked with our atlases
Barentsøya in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Barentsøya, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
2.3°C
Spjutneshamna
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 236 m above the sea. 44 % of it is below 200 m.
- 15 %0–50 m
- 29 %50–200 m
- 51 %200–500 m
- 5 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | -10 | -11 | -13 | -9 | -3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -3 | -6 | -8 |
| Night low (°C) | -14 | -15 | -17 | -14 | -6 | -1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | -6 | -9 | -12 |
| Sea (°C) | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Rain (mm) | 47 | 44 | 49 | 34 | 38 | 30 | 44 | 48 | 59 | 63 | 61 | 60 |
| Wet days | 13 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | — | 1.3 | 5.8 | 10.8 | 12.1 | 10.1 | 7.5 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 0.8 | — | — |
| Wind (km/h) | 23 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 24 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.8 | −0.7 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −1.0 | −1.7 | +0.8 | +0.4 | −0.1 | +0.1 | −0.7 |
| 2021 | −0.7 | −0.7 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.7 | −0.5 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.3 | −0.7 | −0.6 | −1.0 |
| 2022 | −0.8 | −0.7 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −1.0 | +2.5 | +1.5 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +0.1 |
| 2023 | −0.7 | −0.7 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.5 | +2.6 | +2.3 | +1.7 | +0.5 | −0.5 | −0.9 |
| 2024 | −0.8 | −0.7 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.9 | −1.2 | +0.3 | +2.8 | +2.1 | +1.3 | +1.1 | −0.5 |
| 2025 | −0.8 | −0.7 | −0.7 | −0.7 | −0.5 | ±0.0 | +2.1 | +1.9 | +1.6 | +1.9 | +1.5 | +0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Edgeøya
Norway5,073 km²590 m87 km away
SpitsbergenNorway39,044 km²1,713 m125 km away
WilhelmøyaNorway118 km²558 m75 km away
SvenskøyaNorway138 km²280 m119 km away
NordaustlandetNorway14,467 km²764 m155 km away
Kong Karls LandNorway361 km²316 m166 km away
KongsøyaNorway200 km²320 m166 km away
HopenNorway45 km²371 m225 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q373190) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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